England in need of answers at the MCG as Alex Hales searches for form

Hales dropped a catch and failed with the bat as England lost in HobartSCOTT BARBOUR/GETTY IMAGES

The MCG has been a happy hunting ground for England’s batsmen this winter, with a couple of record-breaking efforts there from Alastair Cook when making 244 not out in the Boxing Day Test and Jason Roy when cracking 180 in the first one-day international.

England could do with a similarly substantial innings at the MCG tomorrow in the second of their Twenty20 internationals against Australia.

Malan hit 50 from 36 balls in Hobart but England collapsed late in their inningsSCOTT BARBOUR/GETTY IMAGES

Something like Glenn Maxwell’s unbeaten century in Hobart on Wednesday would do the job. That was Australia’s fourth T20 hundred, and Maxwell’s second, but England have only one T20I centurion in Alex Hales, who made 116 not out against Sri Lanka in the 2014 World T20 in Bangladesh.